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The Heroes Foundation CEO Lawrence Arjoon was deeply reflective on the eve of Republic Day (September 24) about the report of the cabinet-appointed committee established under the former People’s National Movement (PNM) to review statues, monuments and signage in Trinidad and Tobago.
He shared that reflection in a lengthy social media post on September 23.
In that post he revealed that he had written to the Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar kindly hoping that she and her cabinet would give the report a second look.
Recent national discussion addressed important issues of history, commemorations and national identity, he said then.
In a phone interview on September 25, he elucidated more on his thoughts.
“After two years of national engagement and research, the committee submitted its final report to then Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley on February 25. We were advised that it would be shared for public review and engagement. That never happened.
“The report consolidated information from 379 individuals and 56 organisations. Having been part of most engagements and having read all the written submissions, transcripts and research notes, I believe that the report still holds much value for our nation,” he said in his post.
These reflected the ideas, hopes and concerns of people across TT, many of whom felt their voices were not being heard on matters of national identity, heritage and representation, Arjoon said.
He said while it detailed recommendations on the Christopher Columbus monument, it offered more such as clear, context-specific definitions for key concepts like space, place, heritage, culture, cultural identity and national identity – essential tools for public understanding and policy development, a regional and global look at decolonisation and how countries are addressing colonial legacies in education, governance and public spaces, a recommended framework for recognising national and community heroes and heroines.
[caption id="attachment_1181664" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Lawrence Arjoon, CEO of Heroes Foundation -[/caption]
It also offered a proposed national policy on statues, monuments and public spaces, complete with a clear process for placement, removal, renaming and a simplified Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA) framework, a proposal for a centralised digital platform to document, manage and educate the public on heritage and culture and a vision for building a more united, accurate, and forward-looking national identity.
In the phone interview, Arjoon said the report had not been made public when it was given to the former government.
“There was an election, the government changed and I think it would be a missed opportunity for the country if the report gets lost in all of that.
“I appreciate there is a lot on the national agenda that a new administration has to do and has to deal with. I intend, in no way at all, to apply pressure on them for something they inherited but I really do hope that, one day, the information inside that report can be shared for people to consider, reflect on and discuss,” he said.
Arjoon said what is in the report is not the “be-all, end-all or absolute” way forward but there were a lot of recommendations that should be part of national discussions.
Statutes, signs and monuments went beyond the “hot topic” of a given time and spoke to a country’s symbols of national values, aspirations and recognition.
“How can you build the identity of a country to which people can connect and feel they belong? Allowing people to have a say in how we choose who to honour, what principles we uphold and how the stories of the communities, the islands and countries are told to the world is really important,” he said.
This needed to be supported by a clear, fair and enforceable system on how things are placed, removed and renamed, Arjoon added.
[caption id="attachment_1181666" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Members of the Cabinet-appointed committee to review the placement of statues, monuments and signage, from left, Dr Rita Pemberton, Lawrence Arjoon, Chief Ricardo Bharath Hernandez, Annalean Inniss, Zaida Rajnauth and Kobe Sandy at a public consultation at the Government Plaza, Port of Spain on August 28, 2024. -[/caption]
These things affected how people contributed to those decisions which ensured there was strong governance, accountability and collaboration.
But he also felt a strong educational component was needed to truly teach people about their past, present and future but, also, that that had to be done in a fair and accurate way, which made people feel represented.
He added that TT was one of the most ethnically diverse places in the world and everyone’s history in the country may not be accurately told, displayed and portrayed at this time.
“As we grow and evolve, we finally display the different stories that may not be in the public domain, we need to find a way to represent everybody.”
Personally, for him, it was not about rewriting or excluding anyone.
It was about ensuring that multiple histories and stories were articulated and commemorated so people knew more and more about who Trinidadians truly are.
TT’s first Prime Minister Dr Eric Williams gave the country “a beautiful strategy” for anything that had to be done and he did so through the national motto, “Together We Aspire, Together We Achieve.”
“It is simple and powerful. If we can apply that more to everything that we do, we will be better off for it,” Arjoon said.
Arjoon wrote to Persad-Bissessar last month to recommend that she and the cabinet consider revisiting the report.
He said he did not know what the government’s plans were but hoped they would see value in it.
Ongoing conversations about history, identity etc prompted him to do so.
At the end of the day, however, managing accurate historical commemoration and ensuring inclusion of diverse histories and experiences required a very delicate balancing act, he said.
Using the removal of Christopher Columbus’ statue as an example Arjoon said it was done in a way that accommodated every view. The statue was removed on August 6 by the Port of Spain Corporation after years of advocacy by groups like the Freedom Project Caribbean, Santa Rosa First Peoples Community and the Warao First People.
[caption id="attachment_1181667" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Only a pedestal remains where the statue of Christopher Columbus was once stood, on Independence Square, Port of Spain. The statue was removed on August 6 by the Port of Spain Corporation after years of advocacy by groups like the Freedom Project Caribbean, Santa Rosa First Peoples Community and the Warao First People.  - Angelo Marcelle[/caption]
The statue is now in the care of the National Trust and will be made available through the National Museum and Art Gallery.
For Arjoon, the report contains a lot that speaks about wider national identity and how the country should do things.
“I do think TT stands at a defining moment where opportunities continue to exist and present itself for us to shape a heritage and cultural landscape that is just and truly reflective of our national diversity and allows us, in a forward thinking way, ensure that public spaces can tell a complete and truthful story of our collective past, present and future.”
 
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